Sugar Rush: Sugar Rush Forever
by TheDisneyFan365
Summary: The Syndicate has changed the timeline, and Candlehead no longer exists... except she's still here. Now, she, the other Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe must enter an alien Litwak's Arcade to save the universe from an evil, diabolical, and lemon-scented fate. Sequel to Sugar Rush: Rising Darkness.
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

 _"Location:_ _Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, July 4th 2109"_

"So, how does it work?" Crocker asked.

The Syndicate were standing in a large warehouse, looking over a strange machine. It was twice as tall as the tallest of them (Vlad) and shaped almost like a large drill. Electrical coils extended from the sides and the top, and on the side of the machine were a bunch of blank monitors and a large keyboard below them. It was a very strange looking thing.

This was the Tairseach, the stolen pride of the CIA. It's function: to erase an individual from the space-time continuum.

Calamitous gazed at the machine in smug satisfaction, and he pointed to the monitors and keyboard.

"Simple. All we need is a visual record of the subject, which we scan into the machine, and activate it." Calamitous replied.

"The power it would require is astronomical. Where exactly are we getting it from?" Vlad asked.

Calamitous smirked and pointed out the window. In the distance, two cooling towers could be seen smoking away, the grey smog mixing with the late afternoon haze.

"Three Mile Island?" Crocker asked.

"Nuclear power is one of the only things powerful enough to fuel this machine." Calamitous replied.

Crocker nodded and rubbed his hands together.

"So, when are we going to erase Turner?" Crocker asked.

"We aren't. If we get rid of Turner, then we have no way of capturing Cosmo and Wanda." Calamitous replied.

"Which would mean that you would ruin your own plans. Again." Vlad added.

"Furthermore, Vlad still desires Phantom as his son. I want the satisfaction of defeating Neutron, not simply wishing him away. And Plankton still wants to steal the krabby patty secret formula. Which leaves another group of some of our enemies." Calamitous explained.

"Who are we going after?" Plankton asked.

"Sugar Rush. They represent the lowest risk and the highest gain possible. Without them or the Nicktoons, we would be... um... uh..." Calamitous started to reply.

"Street performers?" Plankton asked.

"Nuns?" Crocker asked.

"Nothing." Vlad replied.

Calamitous nodded.

"Right." Calamitous said.


	2. How It All Started

**Chapter 2: How It All Started**

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 4th 2109"_

"You sure you don't want to go back?" Vanellope asked.

She, the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe were gathered in Adorabeezle's lab, standing next to the portal, which was currently hooked up to Adorabeezle's time machine. Dr. McFlambe and Brooke were standing by the portal.

"No thank you, dear girl. I'd rather not be restricted by the resources of the 1900s. I want to explore the marvels of this world!" Dr. McFlambe replied.

Brooke shrugged.

"Suit yourself, mate. I'd rather get back to Caen before the Major gets on my case." Brooke said. He tipped his helmet and said "Have a good one, kids.".

He walked into the portal and disappeared.

"Well, I must be off. Worlds to see, things to do... we'll meet again. Farewell!" Dr. McFlambe said.

He walked towards the lab exit, whistling to himself.

"Okay, so we just released a 1900s-era doctor into the modern world. What do we do now?" Candi asked.

Vanellope sighed.

"We go back to normal for now, until I can find out more about this 'Nightmare King' the Man in the Black Suit mentioned." Vanellope replied.

"I don't think he exists. I mean, all-conquering madman? How do we know the prophecy wasn't self-fulfilling?" Rancis asked.

Taffyta smiled.

"Rancis is right. There no way there's something worse then that guy." Taffyta said.

"Maybe. But I'll call you if something comes up." Vanellope said, looking unconvinced.

Rancis nodded.

"Okay then. See you later, Vanellope." Rancis said.

He gave Vanellope a kiss on her lips before leaving the lab, followed by the other Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe. Vanellope looked down at her feet.

"Maybe. But somehow, I doubt it." Vanellope muttered.

* * *

 _"Location: Fairfax County, Virginia, July 4th 2109"_

"What do you mean, no? This is a highly sensitive device that's just been stolen! Send someone to look for it... no, don't you dare hang up on..." Gizmo started to say.

Gizmo slammed the phone onto his desk.

"The FBI won't help us. They said that this is 'CIA business' and they can't intervene." Gizmo said angrily.

"Which is a nice way of saying 'get lost'." his assistant, Agent Monty Hux, said.

"Pretty much, Monty. It's all on us." Gizmo said.

"Sir!" a voice shouted.

An agent burst into the room through the door, looking worried.

"We picked up an energy surge in Pennsylvania, not far from Three Mile Island!" the agent announced frantically.

"Tairseach?" Monty asked.

"We think so!" the agent replied.

Gizmo and Monty looked at each other before racing out of the room.

* * *

 _"Location: Richmond, Virginia, July 4th 2109"_

In retrospect, Monopoly Night at Candi's castle had been a pretty bad idea.

It had started poorly, with the Sugar Rush racers (except Candlehead), Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe arguing over which piece they got, and went south when Sticky managed to buy all of the railroads in her first run around the board. Minty had nearly strangled Jubileena over the Boardwalk, and Taffyta had eventually rage quit and gone to the palace in Enchantia, which was where she and everyone else was staying for the night because they were having a sleepover with Sofia, Amber, James, Roland, Miranda, and Cedric. They had eventually ended up abandoning the game and playing video games instead.

Now Candi laid on top of her bed, making a mental note never to play Monopoly again. Everyone else had already left for the palace, and she was preparing to head there herself. Suddenly, a portal opened up and Candlehead walked out.

"Hey, Candi. Where is everyone?" Candlehead asked.

"In Enchantia, having a sleepover. I'm just about to head over there myself. Your welcome to join us if you want." Candi replied.

Candlehead smiled.

"Thanks. I'd be glad to." Candlehead said.

She pressed a button on her portal key.

Nothing happened.

"Uh, Candi, my portal key isn't working." Candlehead said in confusion.

Candi shot off of her bed.

"What? What are you talking about? These things always..." Candi started to ask.

She nudged Candlehead as she reached for the portal key. There was a sudden brief shock, and the both of them slumped to the ground.

* * *

 _"Location: Fairfax County, Virginia, July 4th 2109"_

"Sir, something's happened." a voice said.

Gizmo arrived at a computer terminal, where a man in a shirt and tie was staring at a screen and typing furiously.

"What is it, techie?" Gizmo asked.

"There's been an energy spike. Something is blocking the Tairseach's effects!" the techie replied.

"Where?" Gizmo asked.

"Hold on... Richmond, Virginia, in the Confederacy. We'll have an exact address soon." the techie replied.

"You do that. Has anyone managed to shut down Three Mile Island?" Gizmo asked.

"The plant managers don't believe us, Gizmo. They think we're pranking them." Monty replied.

"Then there's nothing we can do?" Gizmo asked.

"No, sir." Monty replied.

Gizmo buried his head in his hands.

"Then keep an eye on Richmond. Prepare a fast response team ASAP!" Gizmo ordered.

"The Tairseach is going to full power! Standby for shift in three... two... one... shift!" the techie exclaimed.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 4th 2109"_

In Sugar Rush, Kandle was just heading inside his house after working outside when he felt the wind pick up, which should have been impossible since he was indoors. He looked outside, where dark clouds had gathered, lighting flashed, and thunder began to boom. In the distance, he could see the lights in the castle and Sugar Town begin to go out. Then the buildings themselves were gone, replaced by an expanse of darkness stretching to the horizon.

 _"What the heck."_ Kandle thought.

The walls of the house faded. Kandle turned around, heart pumping wildly in his chest, as the floor, furniture, and everything else in and outside of his home faded away, like ghosts, until he was alone in the great dark expanse.

"Where is everything? What's going..." Kandle started to ask, confused and frightened.

And then he was gone too.


	3. The Butterfly Effect

**Chapter 3: The Butterfly Effect**

 _"Location: Sugar Rush, February 8th 1984"_

Candello walked to the bus stop, his hands in his pockets. It hadn't been a good day. Work had been busy, and he was fairly sure his boss had it in for him. Then the fire alarm had went off and he had to stand outside in the cold for three hours while the fire brigade made sure the building wasn't burning down. To top it all off, it was raining. Muttering to himself, Candello rounded the corner. His bus was in sight, and for a fleeting moment, he could see a green haired woman preparing to board.

Then he was pushed the ground.

"Gotcha!" somebody shouted.

Candello heard a loud clang before being helped to his feet. He looked behind him. A streetlamp had been struck by lightning and had fallen right where he would have been standing if he had kept walking. The stranger, a small green jawbreaker-like creature in a naval uniform, had saved his life.

He had also caused him to miss his bus.

Oh well, he supposed, a bus was just a bus. There would be another along in five minutes, and it wasn't as though he had just missed something that he would never see again, right?

But as Candello thanked the sailor for saving his life, the bus and Candella, the woman he should have met but never would meet, disappeared into the dreary misty distance.

* * *

 _"Location: Sugar Rush, March 12th 1989"_

"We're sorry to lose you, Lieutenant-Commander." an admiral said.

Lieutenant-Commander Sour Bill stood in his commander's office, having just handed in his resignation after twelve years of naval service. He had been promoted to officer status five years earlier, after saving a man from being struck by a falling streetlamp. After that, he had risen steadily through the ranks, but now it was time to go.

"Sorry, admiral, but I've been waiting to pursue my true calling for too long." Sour Bill said.

"Yes, your calling in... helping the royal family." the admiral said, disapprovingly. He then smiled and said "Well, whatever you do, I wish you good luck. If it doesn't work out, there'll always be a place for you here.".

"I'll remember that, admiral. It's been good working for you." Sour Bill said.

"And you too." the admiral said, shaking Sour Bill's hand.

Sour Bill saluted, and the admiral returned it before allowing his subordinate to leave his office and the Navy behind.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, November 30th 2108"_

Kandle paced around his living room, phone in hand. He was not happy.

"No, it's nowhere near development. Your asking me to build this thing in five days... it can't be." Kandle said, talking into the phone. He scowled and started to say "What the heck do you mean I don't have any drive? I have plenty of drive... your calling me a what? A recluse? I'm not a recluse... okay, I can name several friends! There's...". He trailed off and said "Fine, I'll get to work. Goodbye, si... goodbye, sir.".

He slammed the phone onto the receiver and sat down, quietly fuming. He hated this game. He didn't know why. The people weren't that bad, and this part of Sugar Rush was beautiful. He just felt, deep down, that something was missing.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, December 17th 2108"_

It was an average day in Sugar Rush. Simon was outside, dozing against the wall of Captain K's Diner. A crowd had gathered outside of the diner, lining up for it's new Krabby Patties. Apparently, Mr. Krabs had given Plankton the secret formula, and he and Kaiser had become partners and were selling them together.

At least, that's what Plankton was saying.

Simon woke up, having heard a clang. He looked up at the Captain K's Diner's roof, where a radio tower was beginning to ascend, getting higher and higher above the game. Then, with a loud clang, it stopped and started broadcasting.. For a second, Simon wondered if it was a mind control tower, like what had happened in Bikini Bottom in 2004. If it was, he didn't need worry. After all, he had his nifty new Chum Bucket/Captain K's Diner Bucket Helmet to protect his brain from...

 _Thunk._

* * *

 _"Location: Enchantia, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

Swizzle was asleep in a bed in one of the guest rooms of the Enchantia palace, oblivious to the thunderstorm outside. He was too busy dreaming.

 _He was standing on the edge of a rock in the Ghost Zone, looking over a truly massive red portal underneath. He could hear his voice through the wind._

 _"My name is Swizzle Malarkey, and I don't think me and Vanellope are coming back from this one." Swizzle's voice said._

 _"Swizzle, please don't do this." A voice pleaded._

 _"Jubileena?" Swizzle asked in confusion._

 _Then there was another voice, a high-class sounding British one._

 _"I did what I did for the benefit of all humanity! I don't need your approval, nor do I want it, but I do need you to listen!" the voice said._

 _Swizzle felt himself lift off the ground. The world turned to swirling colors before his eyes before he landed hard on the floor. He winced, picked himself up, looked up, and his jaw dropped. He was in the castle in Sugar Rush, but the whole building was gone, and near the castle pathway was a truly massive ghost portal._

Swizzle jolted upright, panting heavily. He was back in the bed, and his portal key was beeping. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Swizzle answered it.

"Hello?" Swizzle asked.

 _"Swizzle, are you okay?"_ Vanellope asked from the other end of the portal key's communicator.

"Just a nightmare, Nelly. What's going on?" Swizzle asked.

 _"My portal key just shorted... at least, I think it did. It shocked me, anyway."_ Vanellope replied.

"Your sure it isn't static?" Swizzle asked.

 _"No, these things don't do that. Anyway, I was making sure that it was still functional and... look for yourself, under portals."_ Vanellope replied.

Swizzle tilted his head in confusion, but he did as he was asked.

"Okay, we've got the real world, Amity Park, Toontown, Monstropolis, Arendelle, Retroville, Fantasyland, Zootopia, Dimmsdale, San Fransokyo, Notre Dame... what?" Swizzle asked.

 _"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Meet me and the others in my guestroom. We need a battle plan."_ Vanellope ordered.

"Got it." Swizzle said.

He hung up and looked at the portal key again in concern.

 _"Planktopolis. What are you up to, Syndicate?"_ Swizzle wondered.


	4. MiBs And Bucketheads

**Chapter 4: MiBs And Bucketheads**

 _"Location: Richmond, Virginia, July 5th 2109"_

Candi opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor of her room, the morning sun shining through the window. For a moment, she tried to remember how she got there.

Then she realized that she was lying next to Citrusella. And her arm was wrapped around her.

She quickly pulled her arm away, making a mental note never to speak of that moment again, before climbing to her feet.

"What happened last night?" Candi asked.

The bedroom door opened, and two castle servants walked in. One was a girl named Nell, and she had pale skin, brown hair, and green eyes. The second was a girl named Destiny, and she had pale skin, red hair, and blue eyes. Both of them were looking somewhat confused.

"You fell asleep on the floor after the racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe left for the palace in Enchantia." Nell replied.

 _"Well, I don't think that was all of it. I remember... something was happening with the portal key and... oh, right, Candlehead!"_ Candi thought.

Candi reached down and shook Candlehead's shoulder. Candlehead woke up and rolled over.

"Uh, what time is it?" Candlehead asked in a whisper.

Destiny tilted her head, looking confused.

"Wait, what's going on? Who is that?" Destiny asked.

Candi turned to Destiny.

"Destiny, did you forget who she was?" Candi asked.

"No, she's right. Princess, why is there a girl we've never seen before in your room?" Nell asked.

Candi blinked.

"Your kidding, right?" Candi asked.

Candlehead looked at them.

"You know me! I'm Candlehead! You know, Candi's friend? A Sugar Rush racer?" Candlehead asked.

Nell and Destiny shook their heads.

"Doesn't ring any bells." Nell replied.

Candi laughed.

"Yeah, very funny, guys. Who put you up to this? Was it dad?" Candi asked.

"We're serious! We don't know who that is, your majesty! We've never seen her before in our..." Destiny started to reply.

"Candi, there's some angry looking men in black here to see you!" Timothy called out from downstairs.

There was a brief silence.

 _"Okay, men in black, electric shock, and my own servants don't remember Candlehead. Today is going to be a long day."_ Candi thought.

 _"Princess Candi DiCaramello Owens This is Agent Monty Hux, CIA! Come out with your hands up! We have you surrounded!"_ Monty shouted through a megaphone outside of the castle.

Candi turned to Candlehead.

"We have to get out of here. If we can get to Enchantia, Vanellope might be able to tell us what's going on. Is your portal key working?" Candi asked.

Candlehead pressed a button and a portal appeared in front of her.

"Good. Now get in there. I'll be right behind you." Candi ordered.

"But it's not set for Enchantia." Candlehead said.

All of the sudden, the window shattered as several black uniformed soldiers rappelled through. The door burst open and a suited man rushed into the room, a strange-looking weapon drawn.

"On the ground, now!" the man ordered.

"Go!" Candi yelled, shoving Candlehead into the portal.

She tumbled through and the portal closed behind her. Candi looked behind her and saw that Nell and Destiny had left, and she suddenly realized that she was alone and surrounded.

"Uh, what is that?" Candi asked, looking at the secret agent's weapon.

"It's a tranquilizer gun. It fires tranquilizer darts. Now you are coming with us." the agent replied.

There was a sharp sting as a dart hit Candi's arm. For a second, the world in front of her seemed to ripple like water, before she blacked out for the second time in twenty four hours.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

Candlehead emerged from the portal, landing flat on her face in the dirt.

Wait, dirt?

That was a bit strange. Her portal was set to her house, wasn't it? She pulled her face out of the dirt and looked up. She was standing on an empty plot of land, with several tall buildings in the distance, where Sugar Town was supposed to be. The sky above was red.

"What... what's going on? Where am I?" Candlehead asked, fearfully.

She looked down at her portal key. The screen displayed her location.

 _123 Racers Street, Planktopolis._

"Planktopolis? No, that can't be right! Spongebob and Patrick stopped Plankton from..." Candlehead started to say in shock.

She heard footsteps behind her and slowly turned around. Simon and Chip were standing in front of her. Both were wearing drab grey military-style uniforms and helmets that obstructed their eyes and had a short antenna on the top.

"All hail Plankton." Simon and Chip said in unison.

"No! Simon, Chip, not you! This... this isn't right! This can't be happening! It can't..." Candlehead started to say.

"Hey, bucketheads!" a voice yelled.

Candlehead looked where the voice had come from. A female blue gumdrop was standing nearby, waving a stick. She was wearing a camouflaged jacket and a red bandanna. She turned to Candlehead.

"Get to the penthouse in Niceland! I'll hold them off!" the gumdrop shouted.

Candlehead hesitated for a moment before running. She looked back and saw the gumdrop using Chip to bludgeon Simon while screaming incoherently as other mind-controlled slaves closed in on her. Eventually, Candlehead rounded a corner and the screaming stopped.

* * *

Vlad and Calamitous walked down a hallway in Vanellope's castle, both looking a bit concerned.

"You don't think this power is going to his head, do you?" Vlad asked.

"Give him time. He's only been in charge for a few hours. I'm sure he'll mellow out." Calamitous replied.

They reached the end of the hallway, where the door to the throne room was. They opened it and entered the throne room. Plankton was sitting on a giant stone throne where the usual throne had been, which only served to make him look smaller, and the throne room windows were open, showing giant monuments and Aztec-style pyramids throughout the game. He was flanked by Crocker and Tamora, who was wearing a black and red mind-controlling headband, instead of a bucket helmet. Plankton and Tamora both wore very flashy military uniforms with large peaked caps, which made Crocker stand out a bit.

"Plankton..." Calamitous started to say.

"That's Generalissimo Grand Marshal Emperor Sir Sheldon Plankton the Magnificent to you, peasant!" Plankton thundered.

"He's going to mellow out, is he?" Vlad asked sarcastically in a whisper, eyebrow raised.

Calamitous tugged at his collar.

"Yes, uh, Emperor Plankton, I was just going to ask when we can expect your forces to subjugate Retroville?" Calamitous asked.

"Field Marshal Calhoun?" Plankton asked, crossing his arms.

Tamora stepped forward, while Calamitous stepped back.

"Our forces are currently preparing to invade Fairy World. Once Marshal Crocker finishes his campaign, they will be available for further operations." Tamora replied.

"Wait, Marshal Crocker?" Vlad asked.

"He swore fealty to me in exchange for Fairy World. You got a problem with that, Masters?" Plankton asked.

"Just remember who put you there. You were a member of the Syndicate before you were an Emperor." Vlad replied angrily.

"No I wasn't. We changed history, remember?" Plankton asked.

Vlad glared at him. Plankton rolled his eye.

"I won't betray you. Cross my heart, hope to die, blah blah blah, can you go now?" Plankton asked.

Vlad scowled, and he and Calamitous left the room. As the door shut, Plankton snorted.

"They are so naive." Plankton muttered.

* * *

 _"Location: Retroville, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 5th 2109"_

"Candi's been what?" Vanellope asked.

She, the other Sugar Rush racers (except Candlehead and Candi), Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe were in Jimmy's lab in Retroville, standing in front of the VOX screen. After being told what had happened, Jimmy had allowed them inside, and he had let them stay there while he went to talk with Spongebob, Timmy, Danny, and Tak.

"She's been taken by the CIA, and I heard that Nell and Destiny, two of my servants, don't remember Candlehead. Do any of you still remember her?" Crumbelina asked.

Everyone glanced at each other before nodding.

"Well, yeah. She's one of our closest friends and teammates." Swizzle replied.

Vanellope sighed.

"Hmm... some people don't remember Candlehead, Planktopolis is on our portal keys instead of the arcade, and Candi's been kidnapped by the US government. We need to get to the bottom of this." Vanellope said. She turned to the VOX and ordered "VOX, locate Candi!".

The computer screen changed to show a map of the world. It zoomed in on the eastern USA in the real world.

"Washington DC, the Pentagon." Gloyd said.

"Then that's where we're going." Vanellope said. She scratched her chin and asked "I have a hunch as to what might be going on. Crumbelina, was there anyone else in Candi's room last night?".

"Yes, Nell and Destiny were still in the room before I left." Crumbelina replied.

Vanellope frowned.

"Then we're making a quick detour." Vanellope said.


	5. Meet The Cough Drop

**Chapter 5: Meet The Cough Drop**

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

The apartment in Niceland was rundown. Several rusting cars were on the ground outside, the building was old and decrepit, and the windows were mostly smashed. Several signs surrounded the area, all of them reading 'Condemned! Keep out!'.

Candlehead had completely ignored those signs, and she was now standing at the double doors, looking nervously around. She slowly knocked, and the door creaked as it opened. A pair of eyes looked out at her from darkness.

"Are you a spy?" a voice asked.

"No." Candlehead replied.

There was a brief pause.

"Oh, good. Come in then!" the voice said brightly.

The door opened, and Candlehead crept inside. She was standing inside the apartment lobby, which was blanketed in dust and cobwebs. The air was cold, and she felt like she was being watched.

"So, what brings you here, girl?" the voice asked.

Candlehead turned around in surprise.

"Sour Bill?" Candlehead asked.

Sour Bill was standing in the corner, looking rather worse for wear. He was wearing a stained and ragged white naval uniform, a short grey beard lined his wrinkled features, and an eyepatch covered his left eye.

"It's Commander Bill! How do you know my name?" Sour Bill asked.

"Sour Bill, it's me, Candlehead! Your my friend, remember?" Candlehead asked.

"Your name doesn't ring any bells." Sour Bill replied. He then shook his head and ordered "Anyway, follow me.".

* * *

 _"Location: Fairfax County, Virginia, July 5th 2109"_

"Did you really need to go for the SWAT team?" Gizmo asked.

"We had to be careful." Monty replied.

Gizmo and Monty were in a darkened room with a single lamp. In the middle of the room, Candi was tied to a chair under the lamp's light, still unconscious. The techie was off to the side, laptop opened.

Slowly, Candi started to stir. Gizmo looked over at her, and he cleared his throat and tightened his tie.

"Princess Candi. Nice of you to join us." Gizmo said.

Candi looked at him.

"Who are you?" Candi asked.

"Agent Gizmo Anders, CIA. This is my partner, Agent Monty Hux. We need to ask you a few questions." Gizmo replied.

"Couldn't you have done that without kidnapping me?" Candi asked.

"Honey, the United States Government just lost a highly valuable piece of equipment. We think your connected. Start talking." Gizmo replied.

"Connected? I'm just a kid!" Candi exclaimed.

"Yeah, just a kid. Just a kid who get's possessed by a virus and goes crazy. Just a kid who goes to an abandoned town in Memphis to fight a demon. Just a kid who rides a dragon across Manhattan." Gizmo sneered.

Candi's eyes widened.

"Shocked? Shouldn't be. We're the Agency, girl. There isn't a man on Earth who knows more secrets then us. Now, as I was saying, we know things about you besides you being a princess, Candi. You and your little group. You are probably the only people who can pull off a theft of the Tairseach..." Gizmo started to say.

"The Tairseach? What the heck is the..." Candi started to ask.

"Except the Tairseach was stolen while you were in New York. You can prove your innocence, Owens. Start talking." Gizmo said.

"And if I don't?" Candi asked.

"We'll charge you with theft and conspiracy. That rap would keep you behind bars until the heat death of the universe." Gizmo replied.

Candi sighed, shaking her head.

"Okay, I don't know anything about this 'Tairseach' thing. I was at home, Candlehead had come over to talk, then her portal key started playing up and it electrocuted us. That's all I know, I swear!" Candi explained.

"May I see this 'portal key'?" Gizmo asked, holding out his hand.

"It's in my pocket. I can't reach it right now, genius." Candi replied.

Gizmo reached into Candi's skirt's pocket, pulled out the portal key, and tossed it to the techie.

"Techie?" Gizmo asked.

"It seems to be a temporal communication and transport device, a downsized version of the tech we have at Andrews AFB. The portal seems to be generated entirely within the machine. Very advanced." the techie replied.

"Yeah, what do you expect?" Candi asked.

"This thing would be protected against the Tairseach's effects. Anyone touching it would still remember the initial timeline, like a helmet against temporal shrapnel. It'd also spread it's effects through touch. Residual effects would continue for about... twenty-thirty minutes." the techie replied.

Gizmo turned back to Candi.

"Who was in your room last night?" Gizmo asked.

"Uh... two of my servants, Nell and Destiny, I guess."Candi replied.

Gizmo turned to Monty.

"Get someone to bring them in, now!" Gizmo ordered.

"That won't be necessary." a voice said.

A portal opened in the side of the room. Vanellope, Swizzle, Citrusella, and Toxika entered. Vanellope was charging a blast of pixels, Swizzle was charging an energy blast, Citrusella's arms were crackling with electricity, and Toxika was prepared to send off roots and vines. Behind them were Nell and Destiny, who waved. Gizmo and Monty responded by drawing their pistols. There was a long silence before Gizmo lowered his weapon.

"Gizmo Anders, CIA. I've talked to your friend and I think we can help each other." Gizmo introduced.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

"It started off simple. He took over Sugar Rush and ordered the construction of all those blasted monuments. Then he got greedy." Sour Bill explained.

He stopped by a locker and started fiddling with the combination lock.

"He designed a new helmet. This one." Sour Bill said.

He opened the locker and pulled a helmet out of it. It was shorter then the average bucket helmet, although it still blocked the eyes. It was longer on the sides and back, presumably to protect the ears.

"The new buckets, programmed with every military tactic you can think of. He turned the entire population of Sugar Rush into his soldiers." Sour Bill explained. He then sighed and explained "Niceland fell, then Hero's Duty. Within three months, he controlled the entire arcade. Every remaining game character is in this room.".

He pulled a lever. The locker lifted off the ground, revealing a stairwell.

"Funny enough, this was actually here before we started this thing up." Sour Bill said.

He led Candlehead down the stairs and into a cave. A small camp had been set up in the cavern, and several characters in ragged clothes and bandannas were hanging about. Tapper was seen fiddling with a radio, and Sour Bill approached him.

"Tapper, call back Sergeant Peach. I need to discuss me new plan." Sour Bill ordered.

"Yes, sir." Tapper said. He turned to the radio and said "Home Base to Crown One, RTB immediately. I repeat, RTB immediately.".

"Wait, Peach? As in Princess Peach?" Candlehead asked in shock.

"Not anymore. Our 'beloved Emperor' dethroned her when he conquered her castle. She was the only one who got out, but everyone else in that castle is under his control." Sour Bill replied.

"What kind of horrible world is this?" Candlehead asked.

"A dark twisted nightmare from which we can't escape." a voice replied.

Markowski walked up to her, still wearing his Hero's Duty armor.

"Markowski?" Candlehead asked.

"Lieutenant Markowski. I'm second-in-command." Markowski replied. He then asked "Now, you look like your pretty disoriented. Do you need to know where the kitchen is?".

"Wait, your not scared?" Candlehead asked.

"Of course not. Why would I be?" Markowski asked.

 _"Plankton's taken over the arcade, Markowski isn't convulsing, and Sour Bill has a beard. Oh mod, I think I'm in a mirror universe!"_ Candlehead thought. She looked Markowski in the eye and asked "Lieutenant Markowski, can I have permission to run around while screaming my head off?".

"Of course you can." Markowski replied calmly.

"Thank you." Candlehead said.

She started to run around while screaming her head off.

* * *

Plankton sat on his throne, looking quite annoyed.

"What do you mean she's been detected? We erased her!" Plankton asked.

Calamitous crossed his arms. Behind him, Tamora cracked her knuckles, and Calamitous immediately uncrossed them.

"Apparently something protected her from the effect. Vlad's satellites picked her up entering the apartment in Niceland." Calamitous replied.

"He has satellites?" Plankton asked.

"Your majesty, this is a serious boon for us. This 'Candlehead' has just led us right to what may the Resistance's door. We must act now!" Tamora snapped.

Plankton nodded.

"Do it, Field Marshal. Bring me the girl alive. I want to know what she did." Plankton ordered.

"Not to worry, your majesty. I'm assigning my best field officer to the mission. He will not let us down." Tamora said.

"Good. Dismissed!" Plankton said. He then turned to Calamitous and said "Professor! I'd like to talk to you for a moment, just you and me as... friends.".

Tamora shut the door as she left, and Calamitous realized that he was alone with the dictator... the dictator and several guards.

* * *

Tamora marched into the barracks, looking the field officer inside in the eye.

"We move in ten minutes. Do not fail me, or so help me I'll demote you to one of the drones on the streets." Tamora sneered.

The field officer was wearing a smaller helmet that didn't obstruct the eyes and had no longer sides or rear, but it did have a clear glass visor that went over his eyes. He stood to attention, saluting immediately, his face showing no emotion.

"Very good. I will see you on the field, Centurion. Prepare yourself." Tamora ordered.

"Yes, Field Marshal." the Centurion replied, expressionlessly.

Tamora nodded and walked away, leaving Centurion Kandle alone.


	6. Drill Tanks And Helicopters

**Chapter 6: Drill Tanks And Helicopters**

 _"Location: Prince George's County, Maryland, July 5th 2109"_

"Welcome to Andrews." Gizmo announced.

Gizmo was leading the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Nell, and Destiny through a hanger that was filled with strange equipment, helicopters, and a large computer.

"You may know this place as the home of Air Force One, but it's also the home of Temporal Division's Rapid Reaction Force. Any anomaly, anywhere in the known multiverse, can be responded to in minutes." Gizmo announced.

"Where was he when the Man in the Black Suit took over, huh?" Cinndon asked in a whisper.

"See that computer? That's the Wervelwind, our machine for travelling 'sideways' in time." Gizmo said.

"Doing what?" Destiny asked in confusion.

"He means travelling between worlds." Crumbelina replied.

"We can also use it to get overhead pictures of any operational zone we want to access. We send through a remote-controlled helidrone, which we call Kelebek." Gizmo announced.

He walked up to the computer and pressed a button. An aerial photograph of Sugar Rush appeared.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk, it's worse then I thought." Vanellope whispered in shock.

"That's Sugar Rush?" Gloyd asked, paling.

Gizmo nodded.

"Fortunately, there's an opening for us." Gizmo replied.

He pointed to a massive domed structure in the middle of the image.

"See that? That has to be where his throne is. Computer, shift angle by forty-five degrees!" Gizmo ordered.

The image shifted, showing the building in detail. Gizmo pointed to a giant window.

"That has to be where he is. I'd stake my life on it. We can get this guy, get the location of the Tairseach from him, and be done by lunchtime." Gizmo said.

"I thought we already knew where it was." the techie said.

"It was moved just after use. If it hadn't, we wouldn't even be here." Gizmo said.

"So, break a window, make him tell us how to fix it, and go home? I don't know, that sounds too easy." Snowanna said.

"Sometimes, life just rewards you." Gizmo said. He turned to Monty and said "Monty, ready the Venom. Vanellope, Candi, I need you in to point him out.".

"Why not Swizzle?" Candi asked.

Gizmo turned to Swizzle.

"You can fly, right?" Gizmo asked.

"Yeah." Swizzle replied.

"Well then, your going to find us this girl. Take Nell and Destiny with you. I want to see if their presence does anything to help reality snap back to normal. The rest of you stay here." Gizmo said.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

"Crown Team has returned!" Tapper announced.

Candlehead watched as the newly arrived team of resistance fighters filed through the entrance. At their head was Princess Peach, who was wearing a camouflaged combat uniform and vest.

"Sergeant Peach. Glad to see you back in one piece." Sour Bill said.

"Well, it wasn't easy. The vultures are out in force. Something must be up." Peach said.

"Don't worry. It's not like they know where we are..." Markowski started to say.

 _Bang!_

Candlehead was nearly knocked off of her feet as the cavern shook. One of the walls began to crack.

"Candlehead, were you followed?" Sour Bill asked angrily.

"No. I mean, I don't think I was." Candlehead replied.

 _Bang!_

"Curses! Alright, everyone, prepare to evacuate immediately! Peach, come here." Sour Bill ordered.

 _Bang!_

The wall looked as though it was about to collapse. Sour Bill handed Peach a folded up piece of paper.

"If anything happens to me, open it up." Sour Bill ordered.

"Yes, sir." Peach said.

 _BANG!_

A gigantic drill tank burst into the room, followed by several bucketheads firing what looked like miniature Tesla Coils. A few resistance fighters were hit and knocked to the ground. Sour Bill cracked his knuckles and stepped forward, punching a buckethead right in the helmet.

"You boys want a piece of me? Well go on, then!" Sour Bill yelled.

"Target acquired." a voice said.

A figure stepped out from behind the drill tank.

"Kandle? Kandle, it's me, Candlehead!" Candlehead shouted.

"Don't bother. He's one of his now... a Centurion." Sour Bill said.

He made a defensive stance.

"Go on, kid. Make my da..." Sour Bill started to sneer.

Kandle promptly kicked him right in the chest. Sour Bill wheezed and got back up again.

"Alright then, this might be harder then I thought." Sour Bill muttered.

He tried to throw a punch at the green skinned and haired boy, only to have his arm grabbed and forced behind his back. Sour Bill cringed and looked at the other resistance fighters.

"Go! Get out of here!" Sour Bill yelled.

Candlehead felt Peach's hand on her collar, dragging her up the stairs.

"What are you doing? We have to do something!" Candlehead asked.

"Just run!" Peach replied.

A blast of electricity caught Markowski. He lost his footing and fell downstairs.

"Markowski! Princess Peach, we can't leave! We need to..." Candlehead started to say.

Suddenly, there was a brief shock and everything went dark.

* * *

 _"Techie, link up to helmet cams and play track three. Operation Kickback is go."_ Gizmo announced.

Over the edge of Sugar Rush, a helicopter materialized into view. Inside the chopper, Monty and two black uniformed soldiers were preparing their weapons, which were riot shields and batons. Vanellope, Candi, Swizzle, Nell, and Destiny were seated on the other side of the chopper.

"Alright, I'm going. Nell, Destiny, grab my arms." Swizzle ordered.

Nell and Destiny did as they were asked.

"Hold on tight." Swizzle ordered.

Swizzle leaped out the doors with Nell and Destiny, flying down into the game. Candi glanced at Vanellope.

"Did he really just do that?" Candi asked.

"Yep." Vanellope replied, rolling her eyes.

The helicopter drew closer to the massive domed building, the water around it rippling to the motion of the rotors.

"Weapons free. We're breaking the glass." the pilot said.

A rocket was fired from the helicopter, aimed right for the window. With a loud bang, it made contact and blew it open.

"Good work. Let's get in there." Monty said.

The helicopter slowed to a halt outside of the window. Monty looked over to the soldiers and made some elaborate hand movements. He then turned to Vanellope and Candi.

"Jump on my go." Monty ordered.

"This is probably a trap, you know! It can't be this easy!" Vanellope shouted.

"Come on, Schweetz, this isn't a movie! Sometimes you get what you want! Now go!" Monty ordered.

Monty leaped over the gap between the helicopter and the window, followed by the soldiers, and then by Vanellope and Candi. The soldiers quickly took positions, prepared for a fight.

There was nobody there.

"Looks like nobody's home, sir." one of the soldiers said.

"What? That can't be right! This is his throne room! Look, that's the throne..." Monty started to say.

He trailed off as he looked over a see-through holographic projection of Plankton sitting on the throne.

"Shocked? You thought I'd be sitting on my throne, waiting to be captured?" Plankton asked, raising his eyebrow. He chuckled and said "Aren't holograms a wonderful thing? I just have to fiddle with this knob and... bam!".

The hologram suddenly stopped being transparent, looking as if Plankton was actually there.

"I thought you'd come here first. After all, what kind of dictator doesn't plant himself in the most ostentatious building in town? Fact is, I've never even set foot in here. It's a decoy." Plankton gloated, crossing his arms.

"Then where are you?" Vanellope asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, except your not going to because you just waltzed right into my trap!" Plankton replied.

A shield of energy suddenly appeared around the group, trapping them around the throne.

"I told you it was a trap!" Vanellope snapped.

"Don't worry about it, glitch. In a couple of seconds, Agent Numbskull won't be listening to anyone... but me." Plankton said.

The roof above them began to open. Several bucket helmets began to lower down on them, attached to clamps.

"Enjoy, my new subjects." Plankton said.

His hologram vanished. Candi sighed heavily.

"For the record, I blame all of you." Candi said.

The helmets dropped.

* * *

 _"Location: Prince George's County, Maryland, July 5th 2109"_

"Monty! Monty, come in! Monty!" Gizmo shouted into the radio.

There was a long silence before the reply.

 _"All hail Plankton."_ a voice said.

"Agent Hux?" the techie asked.

 _"All hail Plankton."_ the voice replied.

Gizmo buried his head in his hands.

"What have I done?" Gizmo asked.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

Candlehead opened her eyes. She was lying on a patch of grass outside of East Niceland. A handful of resistance fighters were around her, looking quite forlorn. Peach was among them, sitting on a rock and looking at the unfolded piece of paper.

"Uh, Princess... err... Sergeant Peach?" Candlehead asked.

Peach looked up. She gave the younger girl a sad smile.

"Please, it's just Peach." Peach replied.

Candlehead nodded and crawled over to her, leaning against another rock.

"What happened to Kandle?" Candlehead asked.

"Centurion upgrade. They give it to bucketheads who they want to keep their intelligence or knowledge. They have no free will, but they are more independent then the average drones." Peach replied. She then sighed and said "That's what they did to my friends in Super Mario 81. They nearly made me into one too, but I escaped.". She then looked Candlehead in the eye and said "Commander Bill said you think you know him.".

Candlehead sighed.

"Something's gone horribly wrong. Nobody remembers me, my house isn't there... I just don't know what to do." Candlehead explained. She looked up at the paper and asked "What does that say?.

"It's a battle plan, but we don't have enough people to pull it off." Peach replied.

"Then maybe you need help." a voice said.

Candlehead and Peach jumped and turned around. Swizzle, Nell, and Destiny were landing behind them. As they touched the ground, Destiny let go of Swizzle's arm and went into a fetal position.

"Never again." Destiny muttered.


	7. Plan B

**Chapter 7: Plan B**

"Rise and shine, Princess." a voice said.

Candi opened her eyes. She was lying on a table, looking up at a light. Above her were two blurred silhouettes.

"Are you sure this will work?" one of the figures asked.

"Of course it will, Mr. Strych. I'm not a fool. I know what I'm doing." the second figure replied.

Candi felt a light jab on her arm and felt somewhat woozy.

"Oh yes, this is interesting." the second figure said.

"What? What is?" Eustace asked.

"Nothing I can tell you without jeopardizing the plan. This is strictly non-human business." the second figure replied, raising their arm.

"But Candi is clearly..." Eustace began to say.

"Human, yes. But these memories... the Nightmare King is going to be very interested in this." the second figure said.

"I don't care what interests the Nightmare King! As long as it helps squash Neutron like a bug!" Eustace snapped.

"Yes, whatever you say, boy." the second figure said, waving an arm. He then said "Alright, we're done here. Tell that 'Crocker' imbecile that he's free to do what he likes.".

Candi's vision faded for a few seconds. She heard footsteps, and when she could see again, Crocker was leaning over her, smiling unpleasantly.

"Hello, Owens. Your going to help me conquer Fairy World." Crocker said.

* * *

"This is the Ministry of Happiness and Justice." Peach explained.

Peach pointed out a building on a map that she had spread out over a rock.

"I'm going to take it that neither happiness nor justice goes on in there." Swizzle said dryly.

"It's a buckethead conversion facility. They also use it to house political prisoners, people like Commander Bill. If we shut it down, Plankton's helmet production will be crippled and we can free a lot of good people." Peach explained.

"Great... how are we going to do that?" Nell asked.

"It's not going to be easy. It's heavily guarded at all times. We can't just kick in the door." Peach replied.

"Yeah, we tried that." Swizzle muttered.

"Well, can't we infiltrate them? Disguise ourselves as one of them and sneak in?" Destiny asked.

"Do you have a spare bucket helmet?" Peach asked.

"I could always overshadow an officer. I could get them to stand down their soldiers or something." Swizzle replied.

"Overshadow?" Nell asked.

"Yeah, he can take over people's bodies. Want to see?" Candlehead asked, brightly.

"I'll take your word for it." Nell replied.

Peach nodded.

"That could work. Get in, free Commander Bill and the prisoners, and get out again." Peach said.

"Alright. We have a plan. Just give me a second. I need to make a call." Swizle said.

* * *

 _"Location: Prince George's County, Maryland, July 5th 2109"_

"You want me to do what?" Gizmo asked in surprise.

 _"You heard me. I need a distraction so we can slip into the Ministry of Happiness and Justice. And I need you to bring the rest of the team with you."_ Swizzle replied.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Gizmo asked.

 _"I don't know. You think of something!"_ Swizzle replied.

Gizmo sighed.

"Techie, what do we have?" Gizmo asked.

The techie scratched his head.

"We have another helicopter, sir, but it's... ah... far from subtle." the techie replied.

"Meaning?" Gizmo asked.

"It's an attack helicopter with massive speakers attached." the techie replied.

Gizmo scratched his chin.

"Well, as long as it's distracting. Get it ready and find me a pilot." Gizmo ordered.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

Swizzle hid in an alleyway in Sugar Town, across from the Ministry. It was a large stone Aztec-style pyramid with a giant screen on top. The screen displayed a smiley face and the words _'Emperor Plankton Loves You!'_. Armed guards surrounded the building.

"Wow... subtle." Swizzle muttered.

He turned invisible and walked over to one of the guards, which was a Centurion that had their back turned.

"I really hope that helmet doesn't work on me." Swizzle whispered.

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and phased into the Centurion's body. He opened his eyes and blinked.

"Yes!" Swizzle whispered, raising his fist.

He then realized that the voice was familiar and looked down to notice that he was in Kandle's body.

"When this is over, I'm never mentioning this again." Swizzle muttered as he walked away.

* * *

As Swizzle (in Kandle's body) led the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Peach, Nell, and Destiny to the Ministry of Happiness and Justice in the center of the sugary dystopia, Destiny was beginning to think that this might be the strangest day of her life. They reached the door of the Ministry, where another Centurion walked over to Swizzle.

"Purpose?" the Centurion asked, flatly.

"Prisoners." Swizzle replied, as flatly as he could.

"ID number?" the Centurion asked.

There was a long silence.

"One?" Swizzle asked.

"Incorrect. Submit to immediate helmet reprogram..." the Centurion started to order.

Before the Centurion could finish speaking, he was drowned out by the sound of rotors and what sounded like an orchestra. A helicopter roared down the street, firing rockets at random at the road. It thundered past the door and vanished in the direction of downtown Sugar Town, the bucketheads racing in pursuit.

"And that's our cue! Come on!" Swizzle ordered.

As the group ran inside the building, Destiny decided that this was indeed the strangest day of her life.


	8. Saving Private Candi

**Chapter 8: Saving Private Candi**

 _"Gizmo to away team, are you receiving?"_ a voice asked.

Swizzle pulled out a radio as he and everyone else walked down the dull grey corridor of the Ministry of Happiness and Justice.

"Go ahead." Swizzle replied.

 _"Uh, is this Swizzle? Because your voice is..."_ Gizmo started to ask.

"I said go ahead." Swizzle replied, rolling his eyes.

 _"Right. Look, I got the techie to hack into the building floor plan. It turns out that the password was PlanktonRox."_ Gizmo explained.

"PlanktonRox?" Swizzle asked, incredulously.

 _"Yes. Anyway, Sour Bill is being held in the basement cells. All entrances are heavily guarded, but there's a vent in the janitor's closet up ahead. That said, something else just turned up. Your friend Candi? She's here too."_ Gizmo replied.

"Candi? Where?" Swizzle asked.

 _"There's some kind of lab upstairs. It's got a few less guards, so I'd recommend that you take this opportunity."_ Gizmo replied.

"Got it." Swizzle said. He hung up the radio and announced "Okay, new plan. We're splitting up. Peach, take Nell and Destiny and head for the vent. I'll take everyone else with me.".

"Got it. Your going after Candi?" Peach asked.

"She's one of our own." Damon replied.

"So is Sour Bill." Candlehead replied. She then paused and started to say "But then again, history got changed and he doesn't know me, so maybe...".

"Not the time, Candlehead. Come on." Taffyta ordered.

The two groups split up, unaware of the camera watching them.

* * *

"Honestly, why does nobody ever check for cameras?" Plankton asked.

He, Vlad, and Tamora were gathered in a darkened room that was much smaller then the ornate throne room. They were watching the Sugar Rush races, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Peach, Nell, and Destiny through the cameras, via an unnecessarily large but undeniably cool wall-mounted screen.

"Do you want me to deal with them, my liege?" Tamora asked.

"Nah, leave them. It doesn't matter. Let them waste time over there." Plankton replied.

"And lose Owens and Sour Bill?" Vlad asked angrily.

Plankton didn't reply. There was a long silence.

"Who wants nachos?" Plankton asked.

Vlad groaned.

* * *

The janitor sighed as he scanned the shelves in search of a broom. It had all seemed so easy. He had offered his services to Plankton in exchange for not being mind-controlled. Unfortunately, he had gotten a much less prestigious position then he had hoped for.

Still, at least he wasn't one of the drones outside. In here, he was safe.

At that point, Peach kicked open the door, grabbed one of his arms, and flipped him onto his face.

"Ouch! My face!" the janitor exclaimed.

"Vent entrance! Where is it?" Peach asked angrily.

"Do you know who I am?" the janitor asked.

"The janitor?" Destiny asked.

"I'm Gene, you lowlifes! I am an elite servant of the empire, I..." the janitor started to reply. He started to cry and said "I've lost everything! I'm a janitor, for corn's sake!".

"Yeah, very sad. Where's the vent?" Peach asked.

"Just climb the ladder. It's at the back." Gene replied.

"Thank you." Peach said.

The group walked across the room, heading for the vent.

* * *

Two bucketheads were guarding the lab. One of them was Charlie and the other was Satine. Around the corner, the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe were peaking at the lab door.

"Alright. We can get through, but we're going to need a plan." Citrusella said.

There was a long silence.

"Charge!" Jubileena shouted.

The group darted around the corner, charging at the two bucketheads. Before they could react, Swizzle fired an energy ray at Charlie and prepared to collide headfirst with Satine. With a mighty crash, he hit the buckethead, sending the two of them crashing through the door and slamming into a desk. Swizzle stood up, shaking the stars from his vision. He had ended up in a lab that consisted of several tables, a bed, what looked like a VR-machine, and a strange wall-mounted ray. Crocker was standing next to the bed, which Candi was strapped to. He looked very surprised.

"Centurion? What are you doing?" Crocker asked.

Swizzle smirked.

"I'm sorry. Your centurion isn't here right now." Swizzle replied.

Candi looked up.

"Wait, Swizzle? Your overshadowing Kandle?" Candi asked.

"Yep!" Crepe replied, walking into the room with the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, and Damon.

Crocker crossed his arms.

"Your too late, Malarkey. I've already taken what I need from Owens with the Calamitous Memory Extractor!" Crocker said. He pointed to the VR machine and said "The location of FAIRY WORLD is ours! Soon, we… meaning I… will conquer it and have my own army of FAIRY GODPARENTS!".

"You might want to make a raincheck on that, Crocker." Swizzle said, cracking his knuckles.

"I think not. Bucketheads! Get them!" Crocker ordered.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around Swizzle's neck as Charlie and Satine clung to him. Swizzle growled and tried to charge an energy blast, but nothing happened. He looked down and noticed that the two bucketheads were wearing gauntlets.

"Energy Gauntlets. Plasmius, you complete..." Swizzle started to sneer.

"And that's my cue. Have fun!" Crocker said.

He leaped out the window. There was a faint cry of pain as he hit the ground before he was gone. Swizzle groaned as the bucketheads pulled him to the ground, clawing at him like zombies. The gauntlets had completely depowered him, and he couldn't even leave Kandle's body.

"Guys, help!" Swizzle yelled.

Snowanna got an idea and took out her guitar. Swizzle looked over at her and gasped.

"Wait, no! Not that!" Swizzle yelled.

It was too late. Snowanna sent out a sound wave that was so powerful that it literally knocked Swizzle from Kandle's body. The centurion and the two bucketheads fell to the ground, the bucket helmets shattering on impact. Swizzle climbed to his feet, shaking his head.

"Next time, warn me before you go for the guitar, Snowanna." Swizzle sneered.

There was a groan as Kandle began to stir. Candlehead rushed over to her boyfriend, kneeling down.

"Are you okay?" Candlehead asked nervously.

Kandle shook his head, blinking.

"Candlehead, what the heck is going on?" Kandle asked wearily.

* * *

"Well, fantastic. They've freed Candi and one of our centurions. What next?" Vlad asked sarcastically.

Plankton crossed his arms.

"What's next? Oh, you'd be surprised." Plankton replied. He then smirked and ordered "Karen, activate Operation Subjugation.".


	9. Operation Subjugation

**Chapter 9: Operation Subjugation**

"Candlehead, what the heck is going on?" Kandle asked wearily.

"Well, there was this thing called the Tairseach, and the Syndicate stole it and changed history so that Planktopolis is still around and I never existed, and..." Candlehead started to reply. She paused abruptly and asked "Wait, how do you know who I am?".

"What are you talking about? I've known you for eight months!" Kandle asked.

"Plankton changed history. She was never born. The only reason we remember her is because of the portal keys." Adorabeezle replied.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sticky asked.

"I was working late. Then the world started disappearing and, well, here I am." Kandle replied.

 _"Gizmo to Away Team, are you receiving?"_ Gizmo asked.

Swizzle picked up the radio.

"Copy, We've got something for you. We just freed one of the our friends and..." Swizzle started to reply.

 _"That will have to wait, Swizzle. We've got a situation."_ Gizmo said urgently.

* * *

 _"All forces, prepare for Coronation Protocol."_ a voice on an announcement speaker ordered.

Peach, Nell, and Destiny watched from the vent as the guards in the cells filed out, leaving just one guard to watch the prisoners.

"That doesn't sound good." Nell whispered.

Peach grinned

"But it does give us an opening." Peach whispered.

She jumped out of the vent, landed on top of the guard, tackled him to the ground, and knocked him out.

"And these people took over the world." Destiny said in disbelief, shaking her head as she and and Nell dropped from the vent.

"It took you long enough!" a voice said.

Sour Bill was sitting in a cell. Markowski was held in the cell next to him, along with Vanellope, who was wearing glitch-proof chains. Peach took out the key and started to unlock the cells and the glitch-proof chains.

"So, I thought that you got mind controlled like that Hux guy." Nell said in confusion.

"Plankton wanted to question us. Apparently, you can't extract memories from your standard buckethead." Vanellope replied.

"So if you took over the world, they would be more sophisticated?" Destiny asked, eyebrow raised.

Vanellope nodded.

"Oh, certainly." Vanellope replied.

"I'd hate to interrupt your reunion, but we're not out of the woods just yet." Sour Bill said.

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"I overheard a Centurion talking about Operation Subjugation. This is about to get a whole lot worse." Sour Bill replied.

* * *

Plankton's stubby fingers hovered over a large red button. Behind him, Tamora, Karen, and Vlad waited for him to move.

"Hmm, this is going to be pretty monumental. Therefore, it needs a monumental soundtrack!" Plankton said.

"Oh brother." Karen muttered.

"Karen, play disc two!" Plankton ordered.

Music suddenly blared from unseen speakers.

 _That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh..._

"Disc three." Plankton corrected.

Dramatic music began to play. Plankton laughed and slammed his hand onto the button.

"Activating portals. Beginning multiversal deployment of helmets." a voice announced.

"What?" Vlad asked.

* * *

 _"Location: Prince George's County, Maryland, July 5th 2109"_

"Temporal anomalies are forming over different cities. Probably portals." the techie announced.

Gizmo nodded and spoke into the radio.

"Plankton's opening portals. He might be launching an attack on our universes." Gizmo announced.

* * *

 _"Location: Earth, July 5th 2109"_

The sky rippled above the cities of Earth. Portals began to open, massive in scope and a very threatening red color. They blotted out the sun, casting shadow over the buildings. People stopped what they were doing and looked up in awe at the massive holes in the sky. The wind began to pick up.

* * *

 _"Location: Prince George's County, Maryland, July 5th 2109"_

"Confirming portals over the cities of the planet." the techie said.

"What are they doing?" Gizmo asked.

"The scanner's picking up small objects in the sky over Planktopolis." the techie replied.

Gizmo paled.

"Oh no." Gizmo muttered.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

Massive cannons appeared out of the ground across the arcade, aimed at portals that opened in the skies in each game above. With massive thudding sounds, they fired dozens of small metal objects into the sky a second.

These metal objects? Bucket helmets, and they numbered in the thousands.

* * *

 _"Location: Earth, July 5th 2109"_

Helmets began to pour out of the sky over every city on Earth. The people below began to run for cover as the bucket helmets fell upon them like rain, seeking out heads and clamping down on them.

* * *

 _"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 5th 2109"_

The Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe watched through the window as the helmets were fired into the sky.

"Well, that's helpful." Candi said sarcastically.

Torvald looked at Swizzle.

"What now?" Torvald asked nervously.

Swizzle clenched his fists.

"We find Plankton and end this." Swizzle replied angrily.

There was a groan behind them as Charlie began to wake up. He looked at Snowanna.

"I don't know why, but for some reason, I'm filled with fear." Charlie muttered.


	10. The Time For Action

**Chapter 10: The Time For Action**

"Well, that's it. I'm stumped. Honestly, I can't think of anything." Rancis admitted.

The group had rendezvoused back at the apartment base (it turned out that Plankton's troops had left after raiding it because they weren't very bright). They had brainstormed the possible location of Plankton's base, but to no avail.

"It has to be somewhere. Tappers?" Vanellope asked.

"He converted it into a super restaurant." Peach replied.

"But everyone's mind controlled so they can't eat there." Destiny said, confused.

"It was an ego project." Peach explained.

"I'll say. Well, maybe it's..." Candi started to say.

"We're all so stupid." Damon said.

There was a long silence.

"What did you call me?" Adorabeezle asked angrily.

"Plankton! Base! Think about it!" Damon replied.

There was another long silence.

"Of course. Where else would he be? Plankton's base is at..." Jubileena started to say in realization.

* * *

"Vanellope's castle!" Plankton exclaimed.

Tamora shook his head.

"No, too many letters, my lord." Tamora replied.

Plankton sighed and looked up from his crossword.

"Okay, a famous building, two words..." Plankton said absently to himself.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and Crocker limped in.

"I caught them! I put them into a trap and I..." Crocker started to say.

Plankton and Tamora silently pointed to the security screens, revealing that the group had escaped.

"Oh." Crocker muttered.

"It doesn't matter. Even as we speak, my helmets are taking over Earth in the real world. It's already over and there's nothing that they can do about it!" Plankton said.

Crocker nodded.

"Right. Where's Vlad?" Crocker asked.

"I sent him to get Calamitous from the palace. We need the gang all here for our final victory." Plankton replied.

* * *

Vlad walked into the throne room, his arms behind his back.

"Calamitous, we need to talk. Plankton is out of..." Vlad started to say.

He trailed off. The room was occupied by bucketheads, all standing in rank-and-file behind a Centurion.

A short centurion with a hunchback and an ugly moustache.

"Vladimir Masters, you will surrender yourself to Emperor Plankton immediately or face violent response." Calamitous droned.

"Oh, typical." Vlad muttered.

He shifted into his ghost form and crossed his arms.

"Well then, who's first?" Vlad asked.

* * *

 _"So, Swizzle, your voice is sounding more lighter, I hear."_ the techie said.

Swizzle rolled his eyes as he, the other Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Sour Bill, Peach, Nell, and Destiny gathered around Vanellope's portal key.

 _"Can it, techie. So, let me get this straight. Plankton's basing himself out of Vanellope's castle, and Candlehead's boyfriend knows she exists even though that shouldn't be possible. It's really that kind of day, ain't it?"_ Gizmo asked.

"Who's this guy?" Kandle asked.

 _"Gizmo Anders, CIA."_ Gizmo replied. He then asked _"Anyway, is Monty with you?"_.

"Nope. I don't think they thought he had any information." Nougetsia replied.

There was a long silence.

 _"Right, understood. Do you have any idea where the Tairseach is?"_ Gizmo asked.

"No, but if we can get into the castle, we can probably find out." Minty replied.

"Easy said then done. The whole area's crawling with bucketheads." Sour Bill explained.

 _"I can get you support."_ Gizmo said.

"Yeah, because that went so well last time! You got us into this, Gizmo! How can we trust you?" Taffyta asked angrily.

There was another long silence.

"He's got you there." the techie replied.

 _"Shut it, techie."_ Gizmo ordered.

Peach crossed her arms.

"Well?" Peach asked.

 _"I'll get you everything I can. Heck, I'll even come in there myself. You've got to understand. The Tairseach needs... we need to fix this and we need to destroy it."_ Gizmo replied.

Vanellope sighed.

"Alright, we'll play along. Just one thing." Vanellope said.

 _"Name it."_ Gizmo said.

"Commander Bill takes charge." Vanellope said.

"What?" Sour Bill asked.

 _"What?"_ Gizmo asked.

Vanellope shrugged.

"He knows the area, he knows the enemy, and he's probably the second best tactical mind in this room, apart from myself and Adorabeezle." Vanellope replied.

There was yet another long silence.

 _"Whatever, let's just get this over with."_ Gizmo said.

Vanellope nodded and handed the portal key to Sour Bill.

"Alright, Commander, what do we do?" Vanellope asked.

Sour Bill scowled.

"The only thing we can do. We fight." Sour Bill replied.


	11. Charge

**Chapter 11: Charge**

"Since when has there been a ridge near the castle?" Candi asked in confusion.

"Don't question it. Just roll with it." Destiny replied.

The resistance had gathered behind a ridge not far from the castle. They had been joined by Gizmo, who was glancing at his watch.

"One minute." Gizmo whispered.

He looked up from his watch, activating his ear-piece.

"Alright, send them out." Gizmo ordered.

"Send what out?" Adorabeezle asked.

Gizmo grinned.

"Oh, just a little distraction." Gizmo replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the palace, Tamora was looking over a balcony, down at the game below. She felt very confidence as she scanned her forces below.

"The resistance would have to be mad to attack here. Absolutely..." Tamora started to say to herself.

Suddenly, there was the flash of a portal opening and the sound of a dozen roaring engines. The former Hero's Duty sergeant watched, jaw dropped, as a line of tanks emerged from the portal and opened fire on the palace.

"Tanks? Where did they get tanks?" Tamora asked in shock.

"Why don't you sleep on that?" Vlad asked, appearing behind her.

"What do you mean..." Tamora started to ask.

She was cut off by Vlad punching her in the face.

* * *

"Wait, you had tanks and your only just using them now?" Gloyd asked in confusion.

"They're a last resort." Gizmo replied.

"Why don't we get any tanks..." Cinndon started to ask.

He was interrupted by a whistle. Sour Bill climbed the ridge and pointed at the castle.

"Chaaaaaaaarge!" Sour Bill yelled.

The resistance hurtled towards the castle. Colliding with the side of the building, they began to claw at the walls.

"Rip open the walls, rip open the walls!" somebody shouted.

"You can't keep us out, Plankton!" Bowser thundered.

"Uh, guys?" a voice asked.

The crowd stopped. Jubileena was standing next to the door, which she pushed open easily.

"It's unlocked." Jubileena said.

The crowd looked at each other.

"Tear it down anyway!" Jet the Turbotime Twin shouted.

The crowd went right back to clawing at the walls.

"They aren't very bright, are they?" Vanellope asked as she, the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Gizmo, Sour Bill, Peach, Nell, and Destiny walked inside.

Peach shrugged.

"That's okay. Neither are the enemy." Peach replied.

* * *

Plankton scowled as he watched the attack begin on the monitors.

"Darn it. How did they work out where we were?" Plankton asked angrily.

"Because it was obvious?" Karen asked, dryly.

Plankton shook his head.

"Alright, that does it! Crocker, Karen, get to the giant mechas!" Plankton ordered.

"We don't have giant mechas." Karen said.

"What? But I ordered you to build them! We even had the prototypes!" Plankton asked.

"You ordered them built twenty minutes ago." Karen replied, rolling her eyes.

Plankton groaned.

"Fine, get to the average-sized mechas." Plankton ordered.

"Are you sure..." Crocker began to ask.

"Do you want Fairy World or not?" Plankton asked angrily.

Crocker saluted and dragged Karen out the door.

Plankton sighed and shook his head.

"Well, it's come to this. You can't get good help these day." Plankton said to himself.

He walked out the room, heading towards the basement.

* * *

The Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Gizmo, Sour Bill, Peach, Nell, and Destiny hurried down one of the hallways of the castle.

"Alright, we rush to the Tairseach and end this nightmare. There should only be a handful of bucketheads in here, so..." Peach started to say.

They turned a corner and Peach trailed off. Two large grey mech-suits were blocking their path.

"Oh boy." Peach muttered.

 _"Sugar Rush! Surrender immediately or prepare to be vaporized... INTO VAPOR!"_ the left suit blared, clearly crewed by Crocker.

 _"Oh, for the love off..."_ Karen muttered, in the right hand suit.

Swizzle glanced left and right. Their foes had stopped the group right next to two doors that both led to descending staircases. He tapped Gizmo's shoulder.

"When I say 'go', run to the left." Swizzle whispered.

Gizmo nodded. Candi walked to the front of the group, caramel disk in hand.

"I can make this easy on you, Crockpot. Surrender now, and we won't have to humiliate you." Candi snapped.

 _"Oh, but Owens... I'M going to be the one humiliating YOU!"_ Crocker said.

"GO!" Swizzle yelled.

He leaped to the right, grabbing Candlehead by the collar as he did so. They and Kandle barreled through the right-hand door as Gizmo led the Sugar Rush racers (except Candi and Candlehead), Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Nell, and Destiny through the left. As they passed through, there was a high-pitched beeping, and the doors slammed shut behind them.

 _"Nice try, fools. But your not going anywhere... EXCEPT TO PAIN!"_ Crocker sneered.

He fired a blast from his arm at Candi, sending her flying into a wall. The 9 year old princess groaned as she peeled herself off of the wall.

"Nothing's ever easy, is it?" Candi asked wearily.


	12. Tairseaching

**Chapter 12: Tairseaching**

A buckethead bounced down the stairs and landed in a heap in front of a door. He was followed by the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Gizmo, Nell, and Destiny.

"When this is over, I'm launching a blanket ban on hats. Department-wide." Gizmo said.

He shook his head and opened a door. They walked through and found themselves on a platform that overlooked the Tairseach. Gizmo grinned.

"Oh, here it is. That helps. Now we'll need to find the control panel." Gizmo said.

"You mean this?" Toxika asked, pointing at a computer that was set up twenty feet away.

"That looks like it. We'll also need a power source, which will be harder..." Gizmo started to reply.

"Unless Plankton already solved that for us." Sticky said.

She pointed to the end of the room. A cord behind the Tairseach led to a power generator, which was on.

"I guess this is how it feels to be lucky, huh?" Gizmo asked.

He walked briskly to the console.

"Now, this should be as simple as resetting the 'preset universe', which should be set to... ah, nuts." Gizmo said.

"Problem?" Snowanna asked.

"He's overwritten the preset, and he's cleared the use history as well." Gizmo replied.

"So he's deleted the normal universe. What was that you said about luck, Anders?" Candace asked.

"Not quite. I'll have to reset it manually. There's a backup computer inside the Tairseach casing. If I can access it, I can reset it to factory settings." Gizmo replied.

"You build these in a factory?" Nell asked.

"Figure of speech. Watch the console. I'll see if I can get in." Gizmo replied.

* * *

On the other side of the castle, Swizzle, Candlehead, and Kandle emerged from the stairwell to find themselves in a dark room.

"Well, does anybody have a torch?" Kandle asked.

"No need, boy." a voice replied.

The lights came on. Plankton was floating above them, his arms crossed. He was wearing a cape and a fine pair of rocket shoes, and a gauntlet was attached to his arm. He would have looked threatening were he not tiny.

"Oh, there you are. How about you make this easy on us?" Swizzle asked.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you, Swizzle. For you see, the ball is in my court today." Plankton replied.

"Dude, your like two inches tall. You don't have Vlad's powers, or Calamitous's smarts, or Crocker's weird devices. I, on the other hand, have energy powers. Who do you think is going to win this?" Swizzle asked.

"Your right! I can't possibly defeat you... unless if I do this!" Plankton replied in mock terror.

He raised his arm, the gauntlet coming to life. A ray of energy burst from his stubby fingertips and enveloped Swizzle, lifting him into the air.

"Gah! What the heck is that?" Swizzle asked.

Plankton grinned.

"Oh, this? This is a remote control... a remote control for the Tairseach!" Plankton replied.

A computerized voice filled the room.

 _"Warning! Target erasure immanent."_ the voice announced.

* * *

The console began to beep. Torvald glanced at the screen.

"Uh, does this look right to you?" Torvald asked in confusion.

Adorabeezle leaned over and looked at the screen.

"Swizzle Malarkey erasure in progress? How does that... Plankton must have built a remote control for the thing!" Adorabeezle replied.

"Impossible! You can't channel the Tairseach's energy like that. Not unless your only affecting, like, a room or something." Gizmo said.

Adorabeezle and Torvald looked at each other.

"So, you think we can ruin his day?" Torvald asked.

"Maybe." Adorabeezle replied.

She began to type.

* * *

 _"Target erasure at forty percent."_ the voice announced.

Plankton cackled maniacally as Swizzle began to fade, his eyes wide with panic.

"Plankton, stop! You don't have to do this!" Candlehead cried.

"Of course I don't. But it doesn't mean I don't want to." Plankton said.

He began to laugh again.

 _"Warning! Erasure interrupted!"_ the voice announced.

Plankton stopped laughing.

"What?" Plankton asked.

* * *

"Where's the undo button? I've got 43 percent of Swizzle missing and I'm pretty sure that he needs that!" Adorabeezle asked, clicking rapidly on icons on screen.

"Maybe you could merge him with an alternate Swizzle or something. Keep him going until Gizmo finishes fixing the Tairseach." Nell suggested.

Adorabeezle nodded.

"I like you. We should hang out more." Adorabeezle said.

She pressed a button.

* * *

The gauntlet suddenly flared. There was a flash of light and Swizzle was dropped back to the ground, fully solid.

"Ugh, that was unpleasant." Swizzle muttered, getting to his feet. He then glared at Plankton and said "Right... my turn.".

He raised his arm and fired an energy ray... or at least, he attempted to fire an energy ray. Instead, a pillar of fire emerged from his palm, just passing over the head of a squealing Plankton. Swizzle blinked.

"Since when do I have fire powers?" Swizzle asked.

 _"Von Schweetz to Candlehead, come in."_ a voice said.

Candlehead reached into her pocket and pulled out her portal key.

"Did you just save Swizzle?" Candlehead asked.

 _"I had help. Listen, I've got a plan."_ Vanellope replied.

"Really? What is it?" Candlehead asked, so focused on the portal key that she missed a bright glow in front of her.

 _"We're at the Tairseach's controls. As long as he's using it, we can hack it and change the effect so that it's beneficial to you guys. That way, we can keep him busy until Gizmo gets into the backup computer and we can reboot the world... if that makes any sense. You with me?"_ Vanellope asked.

"I'm with..." Candlehead started to reply.

"Yeah, you might want to work fast on that one." Kandle said.

Candlehead looked up. Plankton had turned into his Plank-Ton form, and he also had on heavy steel armor.

"Uh oh." Candlehead muttered.

* * *

There was a loud crash as Karen slammed Sour Bill's face into the wall.

The hallway fight was not going well. The mech-suits proved fairly resistant to damage, and the increased strength that they gave their users didn't help matters. While Karen squared off with Sour Bill and Peach on one side of the hallway, Crocker had Candi cornered on the other.

"Well, Candi, this is where it ends! Not even your little friends can save you now." Crocker sneered.

He extended the mech-suit's arm, which morphed into a red-hot letter F.

"Why is it always 'Fs?'" Candi asked.

"I have an obsession." Crocker replied.

"Yeah, I noticed." Candi said.

Crocker began to inch towards Candi.

"Oh no, you don't!" a voice sneered.

Crocker turned around again, internally sighing at the second interruption. Markowski was standing behind him, his fists clenched.

"Oh, it's a cowardly soldier. I'm terrified." Crocker said sarcastically. He crossed his arms and asked "What are you going to do?".

* * *

Gizmo was opening the security closet at the back of the Tairseach. However, that was easier said then done, as it had several different security measures, ranging from nuts and bolts to retina scans.

"Guys, I'm going to need a screwdriver!" Gizmo called out.

There was a mighty crash as a screaming Crocker was flung through the wall, flying across the room and out the other side and leaving a trail of debris in his wake. Among the debris was a screwdriver, which landed right next to the agent.

"Thanks." Gizmo said, nonchalantly.

* * *

Plankton charged at Swizzle, who narrowly avoided him. He flew upward and successfully fired an energy blast down at Plankton, who blocked it with his armored fists.

"Nice try, Swiz..." Plankton started to say.

He was suddenly kicked in the back of the head by Kandle. Growling, he turned around and swatted the green skinned and haired boy away.

"Did nobody teach you any manners?" Plankton asked, aiming the gauntlet at him and firing.

Kandle flinched and covered his eyes.

 _"Jetpack acquisition engaged."_ the computerized voice announced.

"Oh for the love of..." Plankton started to say.

With a glow of energy, a jetpack appeared on Kandle's back. He smirked and immediately rocketed upwards, coming up beside Swizzle.

"Shall we?" Swizzle asked.

"Sure thing." Kandle replied.

The two soared downwards, grabbing Plankton by the arms and pulling him into the air. Once high enough, they let go, dropping him right on top of a conveniently placed lab table. Landing with a mighty crash, Plankton scowled and got to his feet.

"That's it. No more Mister Nice Plankton!" Plankton snarled.

He held up the gauntlet.

* * *

The fight with Karen had made it's way through the hole that Crocker had made and had now reached the platform, where the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Gizmo, Nell, and Destiny were trying to ignore it. Candi, Sour Bill, and Peach now had Karen backed against the side of the platform, although the computer continued to fight back.

"It's three against one! Give up!" Candi exclaimed.

"Why don't you?" Karen asked.

"Come on. Why fight Plankton's battles? Do you really care about Planktopolis that much?" Sour Bill asked.

Karen paused.

"No, not really." Karen replied. She sighed and said "I'll be in the break room.".

She turned around and walked out the door. The group stared for a moment.

"Well, never underestimate the power of apathy." Peach said.

"We got a problem!" Rancis exclaimed suddenly.

The group turned to the computer screen, where Adorabeezle was typing furiously.

"He's remotely hacking the main console! He's trying to force us out of the system..." Adorabeezle started to say.

Suddenly, the screen went black.

"Uh... hold on, I'll reboot." Adorabeezle said.

* * *

With a sudden flash of light, Crepe's jetpack faded and she dropped to the ground, while Plankton shrunk back to his regular size and form. The gauntlet glowed with an obscene amount of power.

"Why do you have to ruin everything? Why I can't I have this world? It's just one world!" Plankton asked angrily.

"One too many, Plankton." Kandle replied.

Plankton suddenly chuckled.

"No, I think I know the problem. I shouldn't have erased Candlehead. She's not even that much of a threat. I should've gone with Vanellope, or with Ralph, or..." Plankton started to say.

He smirked and aimed the gauntlet at Kandle.

"Or you." Plankton added.

He fired a beam.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Candlehead yelled.

Candlehead leaped out in front of the beam, her arms outstretched. The beam hit her square in the chest, and the computerized voice echoed through the room.

 _"Warning! Target erasure immanent."_ the voice announced.

Candlehead fell to the ground.

"Candlehead!" Kandle shouted, running over to her.

Plankton scowled and raised the gauntlet again. Nothing happened.

 _"Energy expended. Have a nice day!"_ the voice said.

Plankton looked up as Swizzle walked over to him, his arms crossed.

"I-It doesn't matter! I win, you hear! She's being erased! It can't be undone! I win! I wi..." Plankton started to exclaim.

Swizzle stepped on him. Meanwhile, Candlehead laid on the ground, groaning a little as Kandle knelt over her.

"Di... did I save the day?" Candlehead asked weakly.

 _"Target erasure at twenty percent."_ the voice announced.

Candlehead began to fade.

"What the heck did you do that for?" Kandle asked.

"It was... worth it." Candlehead replied. She looked Kandle in the eyes, sighed, and said "Well, this is how it all ends.".

"Don't say that! You'll be fine! We'll turn on the Tairseach and everything will go back to normal! Just..." Kandle started to say frantically.

"I'm tired." Candlehead muttered.

She was very faint now, and her voice was quiet and seemed to echo.

"I'm sorry we never got to..." Candlehead started to say.

Before Candlehead could finish speaking, she was gone.

* * *

Adorabeezle finally finished rebooting the console, and she was greeted with a message.

 _Target Candlehead: deleted._

"Your kidding!" Taffyta exclaimed.

"Gizmo! Plankton just erased Candlehead again! Is that bad?" Vanellope asked.

There was a brief pause before Gizmo swore very loudly.

"Yes, that is a problem! If she's been completely physically erased, then the Tairseach will discard his information and we won't be able to get her back!" Gizmo replied.

"Well, maybe she isn't. Maybe the portal key..." Adorabeezle started to say.

"Well, call her and check!" Gizmo thundered.

* * *

Swizzle and Kandle stared at the place that Candlehead had been, the former with tears in his eyes. All that remained was the portal key, which sat on the ground.

"I don't get it. She had the portal key. That's what saved her last time, wasn't it?" Swizzle asked.

"She was outside our world at the time, far away from the Tairseach. Not right in front of it." Kandle replied.

He picked up the portal key, holding it in his hand.

"She's really gone. But then... then how do we still remember her?" Kandle asked.

The portal key crackled to life.

 _"Vanellope to Candlehead, come in... Vanellope to Kandle, come in..."_ Vanellope said from the other end of the portal key's communicator.

"In fact, how do I remember her at all? I wasn't holding this thing when Plankton changed history!" Kandle asked.

He clenched his fists.

 _"Kandle, is Candlehead there? Are you even listening to me?"_ Vanellope asked.

"That's just it, isn't it? It's got nothing to do with the portal key. Nothing!" Kandle replied.

He wasn't crying anymore. Instead, he was pacing.

"The Tairseach didn't affect me because my bond with Kandle is too strong!" Kandle said.

There was a brief pause.

 _"Wait, what?"_ Gizmo asked.

"And you know what? I don't care what your little Tairseach is supposed to do. I remember! That means Candlehead is still here, in my mind! She isn't gone!" Kandle said, his voice raising.

Swizzle blinked, starting to realize what Kandle was getting at.

"So you listen up! I don't care if you say it 'can't be undone' or if she's 'been erased'. I don't even care if she's been totally erased from time! No stupid machine is taking away my girlfriend!" Kandle shouted.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. An outline appeared before them, like a sketch on a piece of paper. Slowly, colors appeared, followed by arms, legs, and a face. The figure looked at her arms, confused.

"Wait, didn't I die?" Candlehead asked in confusion.

The light faded. Kandle cautiously walked up to Candlehead, not quite sure if she was really there. Candlehead waved.

"Was my 'no' cool?" Candlehead asked, brightly.

Kanel laughed and hugged her.

* * *

 _"Guys, we've got her back, over!"_ Swizzle announced.

The Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Sour Bill, Peach, Nell, and Destiny cheered as Swizzle reported the news in over Vanellope's portal key. However, Gizmo wasn't cheering. He was standing next to the last security hatch, his face grim.

"A multi-billion dollar machine, built by a thousand of the nation's finest minds at taxpayer expense... was defeated by the power of friendship." Gizmo said to himself. He sighed heavily, opened the hatch, and muttered "Right, I'm sick of this timeline. I'm going to just go ahead and reset this thing.".

He turned to a small computer inside of the machine and pressed a couple of buttons.

"Well, this is it. I'll see you all on the other side." Peach said.

"So, in the... ah... right timeline, is the arcade like it used to be?" Sour Bill asked.

Jubileena shrugged.

"Well, you know... sort of." Jubileena replied.

"Tairseach reset in five... four... three... two... one..." Gizmo announced.

Everyone was suddenly bathed in a flash of light.


	13. Back To Reality

**Chapter 13: Back To Reality**

 _"Location: Sugar Rush, February 8th 1984"_

Candello walked to the bus stop, his hands in his pockets. It hadn't been a good day. Work had been busy, and he was fairly sure his boss had it in for him. Then the fire alarm had went off and he had to stand outside in the cold for three hours while the fire brigade made sure the building wasn't burning down. To top it all off, it was raining. Muttering to himself, Candello rounded the corner. His bus was in sight, and for a fleeting moment, he could see a green haired woman preparing to board.

He picked up the pace, reaching the bus and flashing his pass to the driver, who grunted and closed the door behind him. Candello took the nearest empty seat, which was next to the woman that he had seen earlier.

"You don't mind if I sit here, Miss..." Candello started to ask.

"Not at all. And call me Candella." the woman replied.

"Candello." Candello introduced, offering his hand.

* * *

 _"Location: Sugar Rush, March 12th 1989"_

"We're sorry to lose you, Petty Officer." a lieutenant said.

Chief Petty Officer Sour Bill stood in his commander's office, having just handed in his resignation after twelve years of naval service. It had been an experience for him, but promotion prospects had been low since the end of the war, and it was time to move on.

"Sorry, admiral, but I've been waiting to pursue my true calling for too long." Sour Bill said.

The lieutenant grinned.

"Seems fair enough." the lieutenant said. He offered his hand and said "Good luck on the outside, Bill.".

"Thank you, sir." Sour Bill said.

Sour Bill saluted, and the lieutenant returned it before allowing his subordinate to leave his office and the Navy behind.

* * *

 _"Location: Fairfax County, Virginia, July 5th 2109"_

The flash subsided, and Gizmo fell backwards from his office chair. He laid on the ground for a moment, blinking, before lifting himself back up and grabbing his phone. He dialed quickly.

"Monty, techie, you here? Yeah, I'm back in my office too. Send a team to get the Tairseach... yeah, it'll either be in it's normal place, the Chum Bucket, or Three Mile Island. Find it..." Gizmo started to order. He then paused and said "No, on second thought, destroy the thing. It's too dangerous.". He nodded and ordered "Right, do that and meet me in my office at five. We need to debrief.". He hung up the phone and muttered "The Colonel is going to want to hear about this.".

* * *

 _"Location: Richmond, Virginia, July 5th 2109"_

Candlehead opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor of Candi's room, the morning sun shining through the window. For a moment, she tried to remember how she got there. The last thing that she remembered was Kandle hugging her and then a flash of light. She brought out her portal key and checked the portal list. She checked under each of the worlds until she found Litwak's Arcade, which was back to normal. She cheered, which woke up Candi, who was lying next to her.

"What is it?" Candi asked wearily.

"We did it, Candi! We saved reality!" Candlehead replied happily.

* * *

 _"Location: Bikini Bottom, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 5th 2109"_

Plankton peeled himself off the floor of the Chum Bucket, muttering to himself.

"Why is life so unfair? Why can't I just win for..." Plankton started to ask angrily.

Before he could finish speaking, he felt himself being picked up by the antenna and found himself face-to-face with a very angry Vlad Masters.

"We need to talk." Vlad replied angrily.

Plankton whimpered.

* * *

And so another adventure for Sugar Rush ended.

Swizzle was most disappointed to lose his Tairseach-granted fire powers.

Adorabeezle did a couple of quick experiments in her lab and decided that the reason she, the other Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, Crepe, Kandle, Nell, and Destiny were unaffected by the Tairseach was due to the residue created by the portal key's Multi-Dimensional Drive, which was a device that allowed the machines to open portals between worlds. Like Gizmo, she never quite accepted that the Power of Friendship affected science, despite all evidence to the contrary.

The Tairseach was quickly and quietly destroyed by the CIA.

Plankton was suspended from the Syndicate (or at least he was when Vlad finished beating him up), while the other members decided on how to deal with his betrayal. Crocker's own betrayal was ignored, due to the fact that he swiftly 'double-betrayed' Plankton (in his own words).

And so, everything went back to what passed for normal in the Sugar Rush racers, Cinndon, Candace, Toxika, Damon, and Crepe's lives.

For now...

* * *

 _"Location: Fairfax County, Virginia, September 4th 2109"_

 _"So the Tairseach has been destroyed?"_ a voice asked on the phone.

"We used nuclear weapons, Colonel. It doesn't get much more destroyed then that." Gizmo replied.

 _"Excellent. The thing was a liability anyway. But for now, we need to focus on the true objective."_ the Colonel said.

"The Nightmare King." Gizmo said.

 _"Precisely. Keep watching that group, Anders. I've continued deciphering the Man in the Black Suit's file, and they may be more important then we previously thought."_ the Colonel ordered.

"How so?" Gizmo asked.

"It's hard to say at this point, but I've uncovered a written prophecy." the Colonel replied.

"Let's hear it." Gizmo said.

 _"The Nightmare King will seek out his Heirs in the Glitch and the Swizz."_ the Colonel read out loud.

Gizmo blinked.

"Well, that complicates things." Gizmo said.

 _Nightmare King arrival in ONE month and ZERO days..._


End file.
